


Fashion Design, Adrien Agreste, and Other Impossible Things

by bloodyrosybutterflies



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Alternate Universe - Office, Anxious Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Banter, But Marinette/Adrien is endgame, Chat Noir and Ladybug Friendship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Minor Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Minor Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Past Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, fashion designer marinette, lots of banter, multi-chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28377537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodyrosybutterflies/pseuds/bloodyrosybutterflies
Summary: Marinette works at Gabriel's Lille branch as a design consultant, but she dreams of becoming a full-fledged fashion designer someday. So when she gets the opportunity of a lifetime to design a line for the Gabriel brand, she's suddenly very busy. She has designs to perfect, Paris to save, and she still can't seem to get Alya and Nino to admit they like each other. Oh, and on top of all that, she's head-over-heels in love with Adrien Agreste.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	1. Purr-formance Review

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This is my first attempt at Miraculous fanfiction, so feel free to give me feedback. There may be some smut later, so if that’s not your thing I’ll leave warnings at the top of those chapters so you can skip them. Also, this is an AU inspired by the show The Office (US) and the characters have not met each other before working at the office together (it was kind of inspired by the Felinette Office AU by Em Zurl on Youtube, which I highly recommend). Lastly, I do not know anything about France or fashion, so please forgive me for any factual inaccuracies.  
> With that being said, please enjoy!

Today was the day - performance review day to be specific - and Marinette could not be less excited about it. Not that she didn’t enjoy working at Gabriel, it was actually one of the best things that had ever happened to her (aside from being Ladybug of course). She was living her dream at the design company she had always loved, right? But, as always, something had to barge in and throw her completely off-kilter. Or rather, someone.

Marinette trudged her way out of the elevator and opened the door to the office. Chloe was already leaning across the reception desk to talk to Sabrina. Great, She wouldn’t be able to drag Chloe away from her “girl time” to consult on some of the modified designs from Gabriel headquarters until after lunch for sure. Just another thing to add to the pile.

Marinette walked through the office to drop her bag at her main desk and boot up her desktop. She slumped down in her chair as the log-in screen loaded up and gazed blankly around the office. Even though she wasn’t much later than she usually was, everyone seemed to have already arrived. 

Rose, the branch’s HR representative, was probably already doing her performance review since her monitor was on but she wasn’t at her desk. Their show coordinator, Nino, was at his desk, probably confirming some of the shipments for their winter show. And over in the accounting department, Max was typing away at his computer and Alix was leaning back in her chair and staring off into space.

Finally, the computer made a noise indicating that the login screen had popped up, and Marinette signed in to check for any emails she might have gotten overnight. Seeing none, she huffed her way over to the design room in the back of the office, where Nathaniel and Juleka would probably be waiting for her. She opened the door with a forced smile, “Hey guys! What’s on the agenda for today?” She sounded a bit too happy-go-lucky, but if they picked up on it they didn’t say anything. 

“We’re actually pretty much done for the season,” Nathaniel said. “It’s just some final design consults for the winter show and Nino wanted to talk about the color scheme for the runway screen.” “Oh, and Rose wanted to know what you’re going to bring to the Christmas party,” Juleka added, mumbling. “Perfect,” Marinette deflated at the mention of her itinerary for the day. “I’ll talk to her later today.”

“You okay Marinette?” Juleka asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Marinette responded.

“You don’t seem fine,” Juleka gently prompted.

“It’s just,” Marinette began hesitantly. “Have you ever felt like you were meant for more than design consults and throw-away ideas? Like you could be doing so much more?” Not only was she disappointed that she had not yet achieved her dreams of becoming a real fashion designer, but there was also a certain someone making her life ever the more difficult.

“Marinette,” Juleka put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “You’ve only been here for two months, and you’re already co-head of the design department. You’re one of the most talented people I know, I’ve seen your sketchbook. I don’t think you’re the one who has to be worried about being meant for more.”

Marinette had never heard Juleka speak that much all at once. It took a couple of seconds for her shock to pass, but she was soon overcome with a strong sense of warmth toward her colleague. “Thank you,” she smiled and turned back to the table with a renewed sense of vigor.

She would get to work right away, knock out the consults before noon, ace her performance review, and meet with Nino after lunch. Then, she would sketch until the day was over. Yeah, everything would be okay. She was Ladybug for goodness sake, she had faced worse than a stupid performance review and a sense of existential dread.

The door opened behind her. It was probably Chloe. This was amazing! They could knock out the day’s work twice as fast. “Just who I wanted to see, headquarters wants us to-” All of that confidence from a few moments earlier drained out of her when she saw who had opened the door. Sweet Jesus, it was going to be a long day.

There, standing in the doorway, was Adrien Agreste, Lille branch manager and bane of her existence. He was hot like you wouldn't believe and he even still modeled for Gabriel every once in a while. Marinette could admit to having a teensy infatuation with his magazine spreads when she was 13 (okay maybe 16), but seeing him in real life was just so much better than on the magazine spreads. She couldn’t even talk to him like a normal human being and he probably thought she hated him. Better he thinks that than realize that she had a huge, gigantic, please-let-me-bear-your-children crush on him. Sitting in a room with him for 30 minutes to do a lousy performance review was going to be torture.

“Y-you’re n-n-not Chloe,” Mrinete stammered intelligently. “Sorry to disappoint,” Adrien shrugged. “You’re next for review if you’ll follow me to my office.” “Of course sir,” Marinette replied, mentally congratulating herself for not stuttering and steeling herself for the battle ahead.

All things considered, the review went pretty smoothly. She didn’t even start spacing out until it was almost over. It’s just that his lips looked so soft and his hair looked so touchable. She briefly entertained the fantasy of leaping across the desk and kissing him senseless, but she dismissed it for its absurdity. Suddenly, she realized he had stopped talking and was looking at her expectantly.

“S-sorry Mr. Agreste, wh-what did you say?” Marinette stammered. Adrien smiled softly and repeated his question, “Are you working well with Ms. Bourgeois? You’ve been her partner for a little over a month now and I know she can be difficult to communicate with.” Her mind cleared itself of Adrien at the mention of the other bane of her existence: Chloe Bourgeois. Marinette pulled her many frustrations at Chloe’s shortcomings into one sentence, she tried not to be too mean. “It has been difficult to coordinate with her on certain projects and she has trouble focusing sometimes, but she’s good at design revision and critical feedback.” Adrien smirked, as if he could sense her inner turmoil over her design partner.

“Well that concludes your performance review,” Adrien stood and reached out for a handshake “Thank you for your time Ms. Dupain-Cheng.” “Thank you, Mr. Agreste,” Marinette took his hand and smiled. She let go and left a bit more quickly than she would have liked, but she didn’t trust herself to be in close proximity to him any longer than she had to. She could already feel her face go red as she made her way to the break room. She might even break out the last good instant coffee mix, just to take her mind off of the whole having-an-uber-crush-on-her-boss thing.

“Hey girl,” Alya crept up behind her with a sly grin on her face. “Is it a certain someone that’s got your face so red?” “Shut up Alya,” Marinette giggled and shoved her playfully. “You know if you just gave in and screwed his brains out you could finally get over this crush of yours and move on with your life.” Alya draped her arms over Marinette dramatically. “Or is it the insignificance of our existence that's got you down?”

“A bit of both, as always,” Marinette sighed, relieved at the opportunity for a subject change. “How did we end up here, at the smallest Gabriel branch in France?” “Right? I can name everybody in this building, including the security guard and the warehouse guys. There isn’t nearly enough to do.” Marinette twisted around to face Alya, but only ended up in position for a noogie. “I’m pretty sure the runway is the only reason this branch is still open.” Marinette laughed, her mood already improving. “That and the fact that someone needs to deal with the stores here that can’t manage to carry the Gabriel Brand without local help.” Alya chuckled and mussed up her hair. “They’d be lost without us.”

Marinette shrugged her off when Nino walked in to refill his coffee. “Save me Nino, please!” She fell dramatically toward her friend and almost collapsed them both. “Pray tell, what do you need saving from my dear Marinette?” Nino caught and dunked her clumsily, playing along and sending Alya a sheepish glance. “From this rival princess who I fear, has bewitched you.” Marinette lamented as she stood back up with Nino’s help. “I am afraid I may never win your heart now, with her as my competition” Marinette teased, ducking out of the breakroom with her now ready cup of coffee and leaving a blushing Alya and Nino alone together.

She giggled her way back to the design room, catching Rose during a break and telling her that she would be baking macarons and cookies for the Christmas Party. She finished up her work for the day very quickly and met with Nino to confirm color selections for the show. Which meant Nathaniel and Juleka went home early, and she had the room all to herself. She ended up pulling out her notepad and sketching out some summer outfits without much thought.

She was so lost in thought, she didn’t realize that she was alone in the office building until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around expecting Alya, but fell out of her chair when she was met with the soft expression of one Adrien Agreste instead. He apologized profusely and helped her up, but she didn’t really hear any of it over the sound of her raging hormones. 

_ Get a grip Marinette, you aren’t a horny teenager anymore. _

She managed to blush and stumble her way around gathering her stuff and heading to the door. She was even kind of touched that he waited for her at the doorway. They were the last ones to leave the office and ended up engulfed in empty silence while riding the elevator down. And there was even more awkwardness to come when they both exited the building side by side and accidentally bumped shoulders. Marinette even gave him an awkward wave before ducking into her car and banging her head against the steering wheel. 

_ If you were waiting for an opportunity to tell him how you feel, that was it. _

She groaned in frustration before she started driving and called Tiki out of her purse as soon as she got home. “Marinette, are you okay?” Tiki flitted around her shoulders as she shed her work clothes and pulled on her father's old lycée sweatshirt, which was a million sizes too large for her. “I’m fine, I just wish I could handle myself around Adrien.” 

“Marinette, you just have to relax. I know you can be cool under pressure, even if it’s not the kind you are used to. You’re Ladybug for a reason you know!”

“Thanks, Tiki.” Marinette smiled softly and plopped herself onto the bed of her small apartment. She was just drifting off to sleep when a sudden alarm blared out from her phone. She knew that alarm by heart, it meant she’d be getting a couple less hours of sleep tonight. “Looks like it’s time to save Paris’s butt again,” She sighed.

“Tiki spots on!”


	2. Claw-strophobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug goes to Paris to fight an akuma called Claustrophobia, but things don't go the way she expected them to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> Thank you for all your support with this story, I really appreciate it! It's not over yet, I still have chapters in the works so stay tuned. Apologies for having the fic marked as completed before, I am not entirely familiar with AO3 yet, so it should be fixed. I think that's all for now, enjoy Chapter 2!

Ladybug made her way to the Eiffel Tower, where the akuma was making her speech. It went something along the lines of “Give me your miraculous or I’ll trap everyone in Paris in tiny boxes.” She rolled her eyes and pulled out her yoyo while she assessed the situation. With any luck, she’d be able to take care of this akuma and get back to bed before eleven, but when did things ever go her way?

She felt a sudden presence emerge from the darkness behind her. “Hey, Chat.” She didn’t even use her usual flirty tone with him, but he didn’t seem to mind. “Lovely as ever, M’lady,” Chat responded with a grin. “What are we dealing with this evening? Other than your timeless beauty of course.” Ladybug rolled her eyes and gave him the rundown.

“Classic style akuma, no power-ups needed, calls herself Claustrophobia, possible akuma in the hat or necklace.” He replied with a simple “Gotcha.” The flirting was over, they were in battle mode.

It started out simple, they dodged boxes, played off of each other perfectly, grabbed the akuma’s hat, and ripped it in half. No butterfly. They tried the necklace next. No butterfly. Ladybug was stumped. And in her slight moment of hesitation, she was thrust into the dark confinements of a cardboard box. 

There was only one problem with this. She was trapped with Chat Noir, and her hormones, frazzled from her day in close proximity to Adrien, were going haywire. Luckily, she was able to control herself enough to think logically. Even though Chat Noir’s abs were pressed against her chest and - 

_Holy crap is his face between my legs?_

It was the most awkward sixty nine she had ever been involved in, but that wasn’t saying much since she had never sixty nined anyone in her life.

“Uh, Chat?” Chat Noir’s response was muffled by her suit, and she shivered involuntarily at his mouth moving on her most sensitive bits. “Alright Kitty, we’re gonna get out of this, don’t you worry.” She thought she heard something along the lines of “take your time,” but it was too muffled to make out properly. She pushed against the box, but it seemed impenetrable from the inside, at least with the tools they had on hand. 

_Oh well, time to break out the Lucky Charm._

She called out her charm and was pleasantly surprised to have a giant pocket knife suddenly appear in her hands. Straight to the point for once, thank goodness. Careful not to cut Chat, Ladybug maneuvered her arms to carve them out of the box.

When the box walls collapsed, she rolled up and onto her feet, immediately looking around for the akuma. When she didn’t spot Claustrophobia, she lugged Chat to his feet and swung to the rooftops. Chat wasn’t far behind, but he also was flushed from his neck to his mask and swayed a little on his feet when he landed next to her. “What else could the akuma possibly be hiding in?” She questioned aloud, thankful she didn’t have to worry about her transformation timing out now that she was an adult. They had time to figure out how to capture the akuma. “Dunno M’lady, I’m stumped.” Chat Noir snapped out of his stupor and replied to her question.

She scanned the horizon for the akuma and spotted it headed off toward the Llueve. Akumas loved the Llueve. She yanked Chat Noir down to eye level. “Okay Kitty, here’s the plan. Anything she’s got on her, we’re cutting off of her. The akuma’s got to be in something and frankly, I’m too tired for nuance.” Chat nodded in understanding, and together they crept toward their target.

She brandished her pocket knife, Chat called out his cataclysm, and they charged toward the akuma again. Backflip. Front Flip. Launch Chat toward the akuma. Back to business as usual. Finally, Ladybug cut one of the many bracelets on the akuma’s wrist and a butterfly started flapping away. She sighed in relief and purified the akuma with her yoyo before calling out her Miraculous Ladybug.

“Pound it?” Ladybug offered her fist to Chat Noir as he deactivated his cataclysm. “Pound it,” Chat replied with a smirk and a fist bump. The akumatized victim became conscious again, and Ladybug’s annoyance at being kept up later than normal dissolved when she saw that the victim was just a child.

She approached the girl slowly and carefully, trying not to make her uncomfortable. “Hi,” She started softly. “I’m Ladybug and this is my friend Chat.” She gestured toward Chat, who gave a friendly wave and a smile. “We’re going to get you home safe, could you tell me where your parents are?” The girl surprised her by rushing forward and giving her a hug. “I’m so sorry, I don’t want to hurt people. I got trapped and it was dark and then I heard a voice and I don’t want to hurt people.” She started to cry and squeeze her tighter.

Ladybug hugged her back, brushing comforting circles into the girl’s back. “It’s not your fault, you didn’t hurt anyone. Everybody is okay. You’re going to be alright.” She gestured for Chat to move closer to them. “Would you like us to take you back home?” “Yes please.” “Alright, where should I take you?” Aside from a few sniffles, the girl had stopped crying enough to tell them her address. 

After a tearful reunion and a thankful goodbye, Ladybug found herself on a nearby rooftop with Chat Noir. The clock on her yoyo read 12:14, so much for her sleep schedule. “Well Chat, I better get going.” I’ve got a big day of nothing to do tomorrow.” “Same,” Chat chuckled darkly. Ladybug stood and selected Lille as a destination on her yoyo - she modified her yoyo to transport her to various major cities in France when she first took her job at Gabriel so that she could get back to Paris quickly to fight akumas. “Headed to Lille?” Chat asked, glancing over her shoulder to the screen of her yoyo. Ladybug froze.

_Shit._

She completely forgot to get away from Chat before programming her suit to transport her home. She chuckled nervously. She was utterly unprepared to give Chat Noir any hints about her identity, she’d been so careful over the past few years to conceal herself. It was safer for her parents and for Chat, she didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her. But all that went out the window with one slip up.

“I-” She trailed off again. She didn’t know what to do. It was too late to lie, it was clear she lived in Lille as a civilian. She was at a complete loss. Chat was looking at her like the cat that caught the canary. He always jumped at the opportunity to learn anything about her identity. She was never going to live this down. “Any chance you could forget everything that just happened?” “Not a chance M’Lady,” Chat responded with a grin. “In fact, I’m headed to -”

“Don’t you dare tell me where you live,” Ladybug slapped a hand over his mouth. “One location reveal is enough for the night.” It’s not that she didn’t want to know his identity, it's that it would be safer if they kept it a secret. Chat pushed her hand away. “But I-” Ladybug clapped her hand over his mouth again and leaned in threateningly. “I swear to god, if you tell me, I’m going to french braid your intestines.” Ladybug stopped and considered for a moment. “Don’t tell anyone.” Chat tugged her hand away again. “M’lady I would never, you know that”

She knew Chat wouldn't jeopardize her identity, but she was still nervous. “I’m going to go, but I’ll see you for patrol on Saturday.” She was going to back away before teleporting, but there wasn’t really a point now that Chat knew where she lived. She was just about to enter her destination into her yoyo again when Chat took out his staff and began typing in his location to teleport. She tried to look away, but she was almost mesmerized by the possibility of satisfying her curiosity about his identity. 

She turned away at the last minute. “Please Kitty, I can’t know who you are.” “Why not?” “We’ve been over this,” Ladybug sighed. “If one of us were akumatized by Hawkmoth, we can’t reveal each other's identities.” 

“When was the last time that happened? 10 years ago?” 

“That doesn’t mean it won’t happen again!” She was starting to get frustrated, which was not what she needed at this hour of the night.

“I’m sorry Kitty, it just can’t happen.” Ladybug was sad that she would never know who Chat Noir was under the mask, but she’d come to terms with that long ago. “Fine,” Chat Noir’s ears drooped with sadness. He selected his desired location on his staff and smiled softly at her. Just as she was going to go back home, already thinking longingly of her Chat Noir body pillow (she got it at a fan meet and greet and didn't have the heart to get rid of it, she loved that thing), Chat Noir sucked in a quick breath and spilled forth a sentence that officially ruined the rest of her night. “I live in Lille too, maybe we know each other.” Without another word, he disappeared.

Ladybug went home too. She felt numb. Now that she knew Chat Noir’s civilian self was in the same city as her, the floodgates of her mind were open. What if she knew Chat Noir’s civilian self already? What was she going to do with this information? How could she resist looking into who he was in civilian form? She collapsed onto her bed, face down into her pillow. Maybe she would suffocate before she had to face the morning and not have to deal with the implications of Chat Noir’s reveal.

Before she knew it, the night was over and she was trudging her way through her morning routine once again. She was in the middle of spooning Cheerios into her mouth when the events of the previous day came rushing back to her.

_Why hello, sense of impending doom._

Her mind was occupied the entire way to work, and she didn’t really register her entrance into the building or her journey up the elevator. She collapsed at her desk and booted up her computer. She was stuck pondering all possible meanings of the phrase “I live in Lille too.” Maybe Chat was joking or trying to lighten the mood, maybe there was another Lille she didn’t know about, maybe she hallucinated the entire exchange and she was actually in an insane asylum. She was so absorbed in her contemplations that she didn’t notice Alya walking up behind her, and screamed abnormally loud when she tapped her on the shoulder.

“You okay girl?” Alya peered down at Marinette, who was now cowering under her desk. “Yeah I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be fine? What possible reason could I have to be anything but fine?” Marinette squeaked and stood up jerkily. “It’s gonna be alright,” Alya dragged her into a hug. “I don't know what happened to make you so jumpy and nervous today, but if you want to talk about it I’m always here for you.” “Thanks, Alya.” Marinette felt better with her friend present, it was like she was being infused with some of Alya’s confidence.

“Marinette!” Marinette jumped again when Sabrina called to her from across the room. “Yeah?” Marinette let go of Alya and ventured toward the receptionist desk. “Mr. Agreste wants to talk to you today.” A pit opened up in Marinette’s stomach and her knees almost buckled. “Did he say why?” She asked shakily. “Nope.” Sabrina went back to painting her nails, clearly done with the conversation.

She knew this day would come; she just didn’t know it would come so soon. She was definitely about to get fired. Her performance review went terribly. Adrien thought she was a creepy pervert in love with him and he wanted to get rid of her. She was going to cry. She was going to have to find another job and no one would accept her as an amateur fashion designer. She was going to get kicked out of her apartment and she’d have to live on the streets. Then she’d starve or freeze to death and she’d never get to eat her mother’s macarons ever again. Even worse, she’d never get to kiss Adrien.

The door to Adrien’s office opened slowly and she turned around to face the man of her dreams (more like nightmares at the moment), he looked completely perfect as usual. Her heart was in her throat and she felt tears rise in the back of her eyes. “Can I see you in my office Ms. Dupain-Cheng?” She could do nothing but nod and follow him to her doom.


	3. What a Cat-astrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien nominates Marinette for Gabriel's design competition and the two find that they have a mutual love of cat puns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> It's been a while since I last updated, but I'm back. How've you been? Thank you for the support I've gotten for this story and, as always, I hope you enjoy!  
> 

Marinette was actually going to die there, sitting across the desk from Adrien just before he broke the news to her. What would death be like? Would it be painful? She hoped her death would be quick, he could at least give her that. Maybe a goodbye kiss was in order? She hoped so.

What he actually said to her was so far removed from anything she expected that her brain short-circuited. “I would like to ask you to enter the summer design contest being held by Gabriel this year.” Marinette was almost speechless. “Wha-what? Why?”

_ Nice going with the whole ‘I’m definitely a normal human being’ thing Marinette, you really nailed it. _

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng, if I may. I’ve seen your designs and I believe they have amazing potential. I think you would benefit greatly from entering the competition.” Marinette just gaped at him. Gabriel’s triennial design competition was legendary. It gave amateur designers the chance to design a line for the Gabriel brand and gain recognition in the fashion world. Marinette had always wanted to participate, but she had never been nominated to compete. This was her chance to prove to herself, and the world, that she was more than a small-time design consultant. “I would be willing to sponsor your entry into the competition, and I think you’d do great.”

Marinette couldn’t stop the sudden cascade of word vomit that came out of her mouth. “Thank you so much, Mr. Agreste, this is an amazing opportunity and I can’t believe you nominated me and I won’t let you down I promise. I can’t wait, you won’t regret this!” Adrien grinned at her enthusiasm and  _ holy moly _ was that smile the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She couldn’t help responding with her own grin.

“I’m glad you’re excited, I’ll send the details to your work email and I’ll check in with you on a weekly basis to see how you’re doing. All submissions are due by April.” Marinette jumped up and down like a kangaroo on a pogo stick, more excited than she’d been in years. Adrien walked around the desk to escort her out of his office, and she couldn't help but throw her arms around him when he wandered into hugging range.

He was shocked, to say the least, and Marinette realized how inappropriate she was being a little too late. She let go like he had burned her and rushed to apologize. “I’m so sorry Mr. Agreste, that was completely inappropriate for the workplace and I shouldn't have invaded your personal space. I am really grateful for this opportunity you just gave me, but that’s no excuse to get carried away.”

The sound of laughing caused her to look back up at Adrien. He was chuckling at her misery, she knew his sexy blonde hair was too good to be true. “It’s okay Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I get it. You just caught me off guard, that’s all. And you can just call me Adrien, almost everyone else does.”

She melted immediately and started giggling along with him. They ended up settling for a handshake to end the meeting. His hands were surprisingly rough, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before. Her delight at holding Adrien’s hand was eclipsed by her confusion over his calluses. He was a model and he had an office job, he wouldn’t have calluses. Maybe he did mixed martial arts. Or maybe he fought in tournaments with a sword or a staff. Come to think of it, she’s pretty sure she read something about his fencing when she was younger… It was probably just the Ladybug in her being paranoid.

She realized she had been holding his hand for way too long and quickly dropped it before spinning around and speeding back toward her desk. She ended up running straight into Alya and falling backward onto the floor. “Are you okay, girl?” “Sorry, Alya. I was distracted.” Marinette replied. “I’ll say, you need to get laid.” Alya teased as she helped her up. “I’ll get laid when you tell Nino you want to do the dirty.” “Marinette you little shit, you know I don’t like him like that.”

_ Yeah, right. _

“Seriously, he’s not my type and I’m not his type,” Alya claimed. “Who’s type?” Nino asked as he approached the girls. Alya turned around and slid into a lie, smooth as butter. “This guy from my gym Marinette thinks I like.” Marinette had been friends with Alya long enough to see the change in her demeanor from friend-mode to reporter-mode, and she was on the attack. “He’s hot but I haven’t really talked to him all that much. Besides, having a boyfriend would take up my valuable Marinette time.” Alya slung her arm around her friend and smiled.

Alya didn’t notice the slight collapse of Nino’s shoulders, but Marinette did. She knew they wanted to date each other, but she supposed she wasn’t in a position to give relationship advice. What with the whole wanting-to-bang-your-boss thing. She was being ridiculous. They were adults, what right did she have to meddle in their lives? It would be nice to stop being frustrated over her two oblivious friends.

_ Oh well. _

She had work to do anyway, it was Friday and she had to make sure everything was set for the winter show the next week. She went back to the design room and was debriefed by Nathaniel. She was going to head across the street to the runway and check out the setup. She’d have to drag Nino along too. Other than that, her day was open for design. She could get started on her entries for the Gabriel Summer Line Competition.

But first thing first. She grabbed Nino out of his little alcove and dragged him over to the showroom. “Dude, what’s the hurry?” Nino asked. “Adrien nominated me for the GSLC.” She said excitedly. “And I want to get started as soon as possible.” “No way dude! That’s great!” They shared an excited squeal of solidarity. “Do you have any ideas for your designs yet?” Nino asked, and he held the door open for her. Marinette felt butterflies rise in her stomach. “I’ll dig up some old designs and see if I can get some inspiration, but I’d have to look at the entry details before I plan any more for it.”

“Will you let me see your designs?” Nino asked. 

“Only if I end up with something worth showing you,” Marinette replied.

“You’re gonna nail this, dude, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks, Nino.”

They entered the large showroom together, where the warehouse workers were setting up the stage and runway. It was almost ready. “Great job guys!” Marinette called to Mylène, Ivan, and Kim. They shouted their thanks back at her. Mylène trotted over to walk Marinette through the final design and what they had done so far. Everything seemed in order, the show looked like it would go off without a hitch.

“December 5th, here we come!” Nino whopped. He got some enthusiastic yells from everyone in the room. She and Nino left the building in high spirits, it looked like her first winter show was going to be a success. “You still down for Ultimate Mecha Strike 3 with Me, Alix, and Max this weekend?” Marinette nudged him. “I’m so down,” Nino responded with a grin. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“8 pm, don’t forget, I’m buying pizza!” Marinette bumped Nino’s shoulders. “You’ll never get rid of me now.” He said. They stumbled back into the building and greeted Caline, the security guard. On the elevator ride up, Nino got quiet, which Marinette found a little peculiar. “You okay Nino?” She asked. “It’s just,” he started. “Have you ever thought you really liked someone but it turns out they don’t like you back?” “Join the club, buddy.” Marinette sighed.

Marinette gave him a comforting pat before they exited the elevator, and they both went back to their respective desks. Finally, Marinette was able to get into her designs. She still had five months to get her stuff together, but she wanted to get a head start. She’d have to come up with a line of ten original summer designs and present the physical designs at the studio on April 5th. Just in time for Gabriel himself to find the best design and make final tweaks and recommendations to the chosen designer’s line. She almost squealed in excitement.

She’d have to design a line that spanned the vast capsule of summer fashion while still making a cohesive line. It had to be simple while still showing off her skills as a designer and a seamstress. Her excitement turned to panic. Maybe she couldn’t do this. No, she couldn’t let herself think like that, that kind of thinking is why she couldn’t get a job at Gabriel until two months ago.

_ Pull yourself together Marinette. Back straight and tits up, just like Alya always says. _

She didn’t look up from her sketchbook until hours later when she felt a wisp of something on her cheek. She turned her head and found herself gazing into the greenest eyes she had ever seen in her life. They were the mountain grass in The Sound of Music, they were the rolling hills of Ireland, they were everything she had ever dreamed. She could stare into those eyes for hours.

“Hi, Adrien.” She whispered. His face was inches from hers, and she felt her cheeks heat up when she realized he had been watching her work from over her shoulder. He seemed to notice that he was super close to her at about the same time she did and he backed up politely. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I like watching you work.” Adrien was smiling a cute little half-smile. She blushed a bit darker. “Thank you.” “Also you’re the last one here and the cleaners come up in an hour.” Adrien's smile turned sheepish as he gestured to the empty office around them.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” She started shoving her sketchbook in her bag. Of course, her bag strap chose that moment to snap and spill all of her loose designs and sketchbooks all over the floor. And, of course, the person she had been trying to get off her mind all day - Chat Noir - was the inspiration for the design pages sitting on top of the mess of paper. “Well, this is a cat-astrophe.” She made a pun without even thinking about it. Marinette held up one of the Chat Noir designs and smiled smugly.

Adrien froze and stared wide-eyed at her. She thought maybe he didn’t get the pun. “Cuz Chat Noir and cats?” When he didn’t have a reaction, she started awkwardly gathering her papers again. He snapped out of his funk and dropped to his knees to help her pick up her stuff. She ended up shoving all her designs and papers haphazardly into her bag and carrying it in front of her.

They got into the elevator together. The silence was suffocating. Until Adrien broke it with the last thing she would ever expect him to say. “Stay paw-sitive Ms. Dupain-Cheng, the draft designs I saw were purr-fect, you’ll do claw-some in the competition.” And then he grinned wider than she’d ever seen him grin. She burst out laughing. “Hold on just a meow-ment Adrien. Did you just make three cat puns in one sentence?” He started laughing too. “I  _ cat _ help myself.”

The giggling eventually subsided, but the erratic pounding of her heart didn’t. “You know,” Marinette couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off of her face. “It’s only fair that if I get to call you Adrien, get to call me Marinette.” He smiled. “I’d like that, Marinette.” The elevator doors opened. Her insides felt like liquid. They parted ways with a wave and a smile.

It wasn’t until she got into her car that she realized she hadn’t stuttered once during their whole conversation. She fell back against her seat in pure euphoria. It was going to be a good weekend.


	4. I'm Not Kitten You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien get into an argument over cat puns and are just adorable in general.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> This chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but I figured I'd post it anyway for your reading pleasure. I appreciate any constructive criticism and, as always, I hope you enjoy!

It was not a good weekend. First off, her morning patrol with Chat on Saturday was completely boring. She couldn’t stop thinking of Adrien and she could tell Chat was off in his own world too. He didn’t crack a single joke or even try to flirt with her. She missed their usual banter and there weren’t even any akumas to distract her from the suffocating silence.

Then, Alix couldn’t come to game night because her brother blackmailed her into attending his archeology exhibition, and Max canceled because Kim needed his “moral support” on his date with Chloe. Nino showed up and they split a pizza, but he got called in to work super late because a chandelier that was shipped in for the show turned up shattered. At least she still had Tiki to talk to.

Sunday was even worse. She did no design work over the weekend, her mind was just completely blank. She couldn’t believe she had run into a roadblock so early. Sunday was spent in a haze of cleaning all the fabric scraps she owned out of every crevice of her house.

The only thing she was looking forward to on Monday was seeing Adrien again. She had actually looked up cat puns beforehand so that she could be ready when the moment came. She was almost trembling as she rode the elevator up. She was at the office earlier than she’d been since her first day. But Adrien was already there, and that’s all that mattered. He was hanging his coat - the perfect opportunity to drop a pun on her unsuspecting victim.

“Hey Adrien,” He turned toward her with a soft smile, completely unaware of what she was about to say. She gathered all the courage she had in her body and sent a desperate plea up to the heavens not to stutter. “Are you  _ feline _ the connection between us? Cuz I think we’d be purr-fect together.” She added a wink for good measure. Sabrina and Chloe gaped at her. Adrien stood stunned for a whole 5 seconds before he returned fire. “Our love would make hiss-tory, I’m not  _ kitten _ you.” She couldn’t stop herself from snorting at the ridiculousness. “That is by far the worst pick-up line I’ve ever heard,” she responded.

Marinette rolled her eyes despite the fluttering of her heart and headed toward her desk. She didn’t know the guy had so many bad cat puns in him, she’d never expected it with how stand-offish he usually was. At least she could hold her own against a pun master like Adrien, she had Chat Noir to thank for that.

She was finally talking to him without getting distracted by his eyes, or his hair, or the perfect shape of his jawline (okay maybe she was still a little distracted). At least she was making progress. And progress was progress.

She made for the breakroom after about an hour to grab some coffee. Unfortunately, instead of being greeted by a coffee machine and a selection of creams, she was greeted by a very determined-looking Alya. Marinette made a break for it.

“Oh no you don’t, Mari,” Alya yanked her backward before her fingertips could even touch the doorknob. “What was that whole little flirty cat pun exchange with Adrien this morning?” Marinette tried to play dumb but her smirk gave her away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “You damn well do, and you’re going to tell me what’s happening before I put that picture of you in Chat Noir PJs on the Lille website.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Marinette scoffed. “You know I would,” Alya deadpanned. “Fine,” Marinette resigned and Alya waited eagerly. “So yesterday I stayed late ‘cuz I was sketching and it was just me and Adrien left in the building. And my bag snapped and he helped me pick up my stuff and I made a cat pun. He looked so offended and I didn't know what to do, but then in the elevator…” She trailed off ominously and paused for dramatic effect. Alya was hanging on every word.

“He made a cat pun right back at me! And we didn’t stop until we got in our cars, and I didn’t stutter at all!” Marinette finished proudly. Alya squealed in delight. “Girl, who knew your love language was cat puns?” Marinette responded with a surprisingly girlish giggle and moved to make her coffee.

Her mind drifted to Chat Noir as she made her way back to her desk. Why didn’t his puns make her heart soar in the same way Adrien’s did? Maybe it was because Chat didn’t mean it when he flirted with her. Marinette was almost positive Chat had a crush on her when they were kids, but it had been over a decade since then and she figured it was just part of their dynamic now. 

But Adrien’s jokes didn’t mean anything either. Sure she and him were becoming closer, but cat puns do not a romance make. Adrien was probably just happy to have someone to talk to since he was pretty professional around everyone else at the office. She always read way too much into everything. She had just resolved to shove Chat and Adrien out of her mind for the rest of the day when none other than Adrien-freaking-Agreste himself strode into the break room.

“Hey Adrien, your tie looks paw-some today,” Marinette called as Adrien slotted a couple of quarters into the vending machine. Adrien gasped dramatically. “How could you use ‘paw-some’ when the far superior ‘claw-some’ is sitting right there? Clearly, you have a lot yet to learn about the art of cat puns.” “Oh, really?” Marinette bounced over to stand next to Adrien, close enough to brush his shoulder. She didn’t of course, but she thought about it. “I happen to prefer paw-some, it’s cuter.”

“That may be so, young cat punster, but claw-some conveys a more grand idea. And it just sounds cooler.”

“How dare you! Paw-some screams flowers and kitty paws and the color pink. It’s just overall the better pun to make.”

“How dare  _ I _ ? Claw-some is super rad and better than paw-some in every way. Besides, paw-some is too cute, it doesn’t convey the right tone!”

“Tell me you did not just use the word ‘rad’ in a sentence, Adrien.”

“So what if I did? It’s a purr-fectly fine word to use, Marinette.”

Marinette rolled her eyes playfully. Clearly, Adrien had an untapped passion for cat puns. “What are you, some kind of cat pun connoisseur?” “One could say that,” he looked at her warmly for a moment before bidding her farewell and leaving her alone in the break room. She stared longingly after him.

“You’ve got it bad, girl,” Alya let out a low whistle from behind her. “Last week you couldn’t even look at him without blushing, now you’re tossing out flirty comments and arguing over cat puns like it’s nothing? Who are you and what have you done with Marinette?” Marinette’s ears were clogged by the floating hearts manifesting around her, so she didn’t hear Alya’s ensuing questions, but it was probably less important than gazing at the space Adrien used to occupy.

When she finally snapped out of her Adrien haze, she was back at her desk sketching hearts instead of potential competition designs.


	5. I've Gato Say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette freaks out over her inability to keep cool, but Adrien is actually really understanding and helps her through it (and also everyone goes to Chili's because we have to get in our Office references somehow).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> What's this? An update for the third day in a row? I must be out of my mind. Anyway, this chapter ended up with a lot more 'Marinette has a panic attack' than I planned, but I'm happy with how it turned out and we stan Anxious!Marinette.  
> As always, I hope you enjoy!

The end of the week could not have approached more slowly, but approach it did. And with it, the Winter fashion show. The office was buzzing, and even though Marinette had nothing left to do but supervise stage set-up, she was freaking out. 

What if her first show sucked? What if she forgot something? What if everything went wrong and everyone blamed it on her? Then she would get fired and she’d have to move in with Alya and then Alya would kick her out because she messed up the show. And then of course she would be shunned from society and she’d live alone in the mountains and she’d never get to see Adrien’s stupidly cute face as he told her she looked paw-sitively divine for the fifth time that day.

She snapped out of her spiraling train of thought when Alya literally waved a hand in front of her face. “Hellooo, earth to Marinette. Where’d you go, girl?” Marinette shook her head to clear the fog from her mind. “Sorry Alys, what did you say?” She smiled and hoped her friend wasn't too mad.

“I was just asking you if you wanted to go to Chili’s tonight with me and Nino and a couple of other people. The show is tomorrow and we all deserve a night off.” Alya smirked and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, I should probably just go home and do some design work for the Gabriel Summer Line Competition.” Marinette hesitated.

“Mari, your designs aren’t due for another five fucking months. You can survive one night off.” Alya insisted.

“I still don’t know Alys.”

“Marinette,” Alya grabbed her shoulders and stared her straight in the eye. “Hon, Babe, light of my life. If I didn’t think getting out and hanging with the rest of the office would be good for you, I wouldn’t ask you to come with us. But I know you’ve been hardcore stressing about this competition and the show and you need a break. Listen, I love you more than I love Mr. Fluffy Face and I want you to be happy.”

Marinette could feel her resolve crumbling, she sighed defeatedly. “Okay fine, I guess it won’t be so bad to hang with you guys.” Alya squealed with excitement and dragged Marinette into a bear hug. “And it’s not hard to be better than Mr. Fluffy Face, that cat is a monster and you know it,” Marinette laughed.

“How dare you! Mr. Fluffy Face is the sweetest thing to walk this earth. Besides you of course.” Alya giggled and messed up Marinette’s hair for good measure. “And Nino said Adrien might be there too!” “Why didn’t you just lead with that?” Marinette sputtered.

“Because I wanted you to come because you want to hang out with us, not because of your intense desire to screw Adrien while wearing cat ears,” Alya said a little too loudly for Marinette’s comfort. “Shut your mouth you dork, do you want the whole office to think I’m a creep?” Marinette whispered frantically. “Besides we’re just friends and I don’t want to make him uncomfortable just because I can’t control my own feelings. He deserves to be treated like a person, not sex on legs.”

“Wow, that was uncharacteristically mature of you, Marinette.”

She giggled, “I know I didn’t think I had it in me to not flip out about this.”

“Me neither girl, good for you!”

“Who are we treating like sex on legs?” Both girls stifled screams as none other than Adrien himself walked up behind them with a cup of coffee and a donut from the breakroom. 

Marinette's panicked word vomit came out faster Alya could even open her mouth. “Nobody, of course, nobody is sex on legs. Why would I say that about anyone? That’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Not that there aren’t attractive people in the world, of course, there are. And I guess some of them could be described as being sex on legs but I would never go so far as to objectify someone like that. Especially not right to their face.”

_ Oh my god, shut the fuck up Marinette. _

She couldn’t make herself stop talking. “Unless of course, they were into that kind of thing then it would be okay, I’m not about to kink-shame someone for liking what they like. It’s all about consent and making sure both parties are comfortable and holy shit why am I still talking? Is it hot in here? I think It’s hot in here. I’m going to go sit down, I’m so sorry, I’m such a mess, bye everybody, please don’t hate me.”

_ Way to go Marinette, you absolutely nailed it. People definitely don’t think you’re the worst human being on earth now. _

Her face was redder than it had been since she was crushing on Luka in lycee. She pivoted and ran from the room without so much as a glance at Alya or Adrien. She bounded down into the stairwell and collapsed in a fetal position. So much for progress and being Adrien’s friend, she clearly wasn’t as good at this as she thought. She felt her eyes welling up and her chin starting to wobble. She put her head in her hands.

It was only five minutes before someone came to check on her and, of course, that someone had blonde hair, green eyes, and was Adrien-freaking-Agreste. The one person she couldn’t stop embarrassing herself in front of. She felt her heart drop to the floor at the thought that Adrien might revoke his nomination and she wouldn’t get to do the Gabriel Summer Line Competition after all. She was definitely about to start crying.

Marinette braced herself for the lecture of a lifetime about inappropriate conduct in the workplace and disrespectful behavior and saying ‘sex on legs’ in front of her boss. But Adrien didn’t say a word. He simply sat beside her on the stairwell landing. They stayed like that for a good ten minutes before Marinette mustered up the courage to talk.

“I am so sorry Adrien,” Marinette mumbled. 

“It’s okay, I know what it’s like to get overwhelmed,” Adrien smiled. It was a different sort of smile than usual though. This smile was full of understanding and sympathy. Marinette couldn’t help it, she laid her head on his shoulder and let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in. He tucked his arm around her and she felt truly safe for the first time in a while.

When she finally felt calm enough to move, Marinette slowly stood and helped Adrien to his feet. “Thank you, sorry again,” she said with a small smile. Adrien returned her smile and led her back up the stairs. The rest of the workday passed like a fuzzy dream.

Alya stopped her to gather her in a hug before she left. “Hey, are you okay? It’s okay if you don’t want to come out with us anymore, I don’t want you to get all worked up again.”

“No, it’s okay Alya,” Marinette responded, hugging Alya back. “I just spiraled for a bit there, I’m okay now. I still want to come out with you guys.”

“Okay, but take it easy girl, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

“You’re the best Alya.”

“You’re just figuring this out now?”

Marinette shoved her friend playfully. “Of course not, I always knew you were the best.” “I’ll pick you up in an hour once you get changed, we’ll also grab Rose and Jules from their place,” Alya explained. “Sounds fun!” Marinette grinned, she tucked her freak-out into the back of her mind and allowed herself to get excited for the night ahead of her.

It turned out she was rightfully excited, because when Alya had said “some people” she had really meant the entire office. It was one hell of a party.

When Adrien showed up, they gravitated toward each other like colliding planets. It was like a dam was finally broken and they fell into conversation like they had known each other for years. Of course, the fact that Marinette had had a drink or two probably helped a little.

“I’ve  _ gato _ say, Adrien, this is a great party.” Marinette giggled at Adrien’s gobsmacked expression. 

“I’ve never used  _ Spanish _ in a pun before.” 

“Maybe you have a thing or two to learn from me too cat-boy.”

“Woah Woah Woah. Cat-boy? You wound me purr-incess.”

“Now that’s just low,” Marinette joked.

Adrien smiled and Marinette’s insides felt warm and melty. She reached to mess up his hair and giggled again at his befuddled expression, she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. It was so bizarre, in just two weeks they had gone from barely speaking to cat puns to chatting like old friends. “You’re cute,” she said without thinking, turning back to Alya’s imaginative retelling of her latest Ladybug encounter. Completely missing the way Adrien’s eyes softened and the way he leaned unconsciously closer to her.

She was just turning back to Adrien to gaze into his impossibly green eyes when her phone buzzed. An alarm she knew by heart blared quick and loud, and she cursed Hawkmoth for his perpetually awful timing. She took one last look at Adrien, who was also looking a bit disgruntled by her phone’s interruption, before excusing herself to the bathroom.

“Alright Tiki, let’s kick an akuma’s ass and hope Adrien isn’t headed home by the time we get back,” Marinette whispered as she opened her bag.

“You got this Marinette!” Tiki whispered encouragingly.

“Tiki, spots on!”


End file.
